Coordinates: 42°22′15″N 71°4′36″W / 42.37083°N 71.07667°W
Lechmere Square (pronounced /ˈliːtʃmɪr/ "leech-meer") is located at the intersection of Cambridge Street and First Street in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was originally named for the Colonial-era landowner Richard Lechmere, a Loyalist who returned to England at the beginning of the American Revolution. His lands were later seized by the new American government. The shoreline is shown as "Lechmere's Point" on Revolutionary War maps, and was the landing point for British troops en route to the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
The area was developed by land speculator Andrew Craigie in the early 19th century. Later, a store (Lechmere) was founded in the area and named for it. The store expanded into a regional chain, which was purchased by Montgomery Ward in 1994 and closed in 1997 as Montgomery Ward filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The area is now best known for the CambridgeSide Galleria, one of the few full-fledged interior shopping malls within the city limits of Boston and Cambridge, which is on the site of the original Lechmere store (and, when built, incorporated a newly built Lechmere Sales store as one of its anchor tenants). In years past, Lechmere Square was a manufacturing center producing candy, furniture, and caskets.